Modern marketing techniques require that products and articles of merchandise be packaged in boxes or containers which themselves create a point of purchase display in a retail store or other outlet. Boxes, containers or the like which conceal their contents are undesirable since, in order to display the merchandise for sale, one or more such boxes must be opened, and the remainder stored elsewhere. Thus, for many years it has been the practice to provide cardboard or paper boxes or packages for a wide variety of merchandise, in which a portion of one side of the container is cut out, and covered with a thin sheet of transparent material such as acetate or the like to provide a so-called "window". Typical window packages of this kind are only partially successful. Since the window is cut out from only one side of the carton or container, the merchandise remains to a large extent completely hidden. In addition, such windows cannot be provided extending the full width or length of the container since the vast majority of containers are closed at each end by conventional tuck-in flaps. In some cases, it has been proposed to provide such a window extending around two sides of the container, but even in this case, the window does not extend the full length of the container, and as a result, the ends of the product or merchandise within the container still remain concealed. Typical examples of such window packages are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,761,249; 2,409,736; 3,186,622; 3,273,702; 3,351,188; 3,380,575; 3,448,853.
In order to overcome the shortcomings of the various types of conventional window package, an entirely different technique for packaging was developed known as "blister" packaging. In this technique, a sheet of transparent thermoformable material is formed, usually by vacuum forming techniques around the article of merchandise, with the periphery of the plastic sheet adhesively bonded to a backing card. This type of packaging has proved very popular, and has been successfully employed in the retailing of a very wide variety of merchandise. The principal advantage, of course, is the fact that the merchandise remains in full view at all times, constituting its own point of purchase display. The retailer does not have to remove the contents of the package to display it or show it, and any advertising material which may be desired can be printed on the backing sheet, such that the article itself is fully exposed to view, along with advertising material and directions. However, blister packaging has been found to be a costly procedure since the manufacturer of the merchandise must normally ship the merchandise, unpackaged, and therefore, unprotected, to a blister packager who then packages the merchandise one by one in his own plant in the manner described above. This involves substantial unnecessary expense and is time-consuming, and leads to delays between the manufacture of the merchandise and its delivery to the retailer. In most cases, blister packaging adds very substantially to the retail cost of the article and, in many cases, blister packaging is simply too expensive to be suitable for the packaging of various kinds of merchandise. As a result, many types of merchandise in which the retailing mark up is restricted, have been packaged in unsuitable containers or window packages which conceal the merchandise from view, which has, in turn, tended to somewhat increase the retailing costs of such articles and simultaneously decrease their appeal. Conversely, articles where a higher retailing mark-up could be obtained, have been packaged by blister packaging techniques where unnecessarily high packaging costs were incurred which substantially reduced the manufacturer's profit, and such increased costs have inevitably been passed on to the consumer who in the end is forced to pay a higher price for the article than is necessary.
Another factor which is of great importance in the selection of the most suitable package for an article of merchandise is the nestability or stacking qualities of the package. In many cases, point of purchase displays are made up by stacking the packages or containers one above the other. Conventional containers of cardboard or window packages formed principally of cardboard were readily adapted to nesting and stacking in this way, and in fact, provided for economical bulk shipping of such articles, and at the same time provided a simple, yet attractive, counter display in the retail outlet. On the other hand, blister packages being by their very nature of random contour and shaping, dependent upon the article contained therein and the vacuum forming process employed, were generally speaking, not nestable, and not stackable one above the other. As a result, such blister packages are normally required to be supported on some form of specially manufactured counter display such as a support column or a system of wire hangers or the like arranged on a peg board. In either case, the retailer is obliged to invest in point of purchase display supports for such blister packages which still further increases his retailing costs.
A still further factor of importance in the selection of the most suitable package is that fact that in many cases, the customer will wish to check the actual article of merchandise he is purchasing to make sure that there are no defects. This of course, involved removing the article from its container or package. In the case of a conventional cardboard container this presents no problem. One end flap is simply withdrawn from the package, and the article can be removed and inspected and then replaced and the end flap closed. On the other hand, in the case of a blister package, the only way in which the article can be removed from the package is by actually destroying the package. Once the package is destroyed, and if the customer should finally decide not to purchase the article, then of course, the article cannot readily be repackaged by the retailer, and it must be either thrown away or sold at a reduced price. For example, in the case of the sale of a toothbrush, the customer may wish to check the bristles to select a toothbrush of the appropriate type. If he should test one, and then discard it in favour of another, then the discarded product must be sold at a reduced price. On the other hand, if the retailer should refuse to allow the customer to check the product, then the customer may very well refuse to buy it.